Wild West
by abiecat
Summary: An AU Auslly story that takes place in California during the 1940's. Ally and her family live on a small farm when her dad hires. Austin as a cowhand. This story idea popped into my head and I had to write it! A story about a boy, a girl, and the sun-drenched California earth.
1. Mud

**A/N: I was reading a book about California in the 1940's for school, and then I got this brilliant idea for a story. I just had to type it up. Here's the first chapter. Let me know what you think.**

**Again: This story takes place in California in the 1940s.**

"Ally! Wake up!" My dad shouted. I opened my eyes. Everything was still dark; it was really early. I sat up in bed and breathed in the early morning air. I had forgotten to shut my windows last night, and the curtains were flowing into the room gently. I threw the quilt onto the bed and smoothed it out.

I opened the trap door in the corner of my bedroom and called down, "Coming, Dad!" I pulled on an old pair of jeans that had definitely seen better days. I had received them for my birthday about four years ago. But of course, my dad had bought them several sizes too big so that I could wear them for a long time. Each rip and tear had a special memory to go along with it, though.

Because it was the middle summer, I didn't bother with my plaid button up shirt. I just wore my favorite white tank-top. When my mom had given it to me, it was a brand new crisp white. Now the bottom was unraveling a little, and it had a few barely noticeable stains, but I loved how soft it was. I smile at the memory of Mom giving it to me. She had died of a scarlet fever about a year ago, leaving my dad heartbroken. Not a day goes by that I don't miss her.

I grabbed my cowgirl boots and climbed down the ladder to the rest of the house. In the main room, my brother, Aaron, and my sister, AJ were already sitting at the lantern lit table. AJ was the oldest, I was in the middle, and Aaron was the youngest. I sat down at my usual spot next to AJ and pulled my boots on.

"Morning!" I said cheerfully. Might as well start the day off in a good mood.

"Morning, Ally." Aaron and AJ chorus together. I grab half of my hair and tangle my fingers in it, twisting three pieces into a messy braid.

"Why did Dad wake us up so early this morning?" I ask, tying off my braid and starting on the other side.

Before either one of them can answer, Billy comes in the door connecting to the kitchen with a big stack of pancakes. My dad hired Billy shortly after my mom died. He helps with cooking and anything that my dad needs help with. I've never seen him smile. He's an old man and I don't really think he likes us. AJ and I used to play pranks on him, but now AJ insists that she's too old for such childish things. She can be so boring.

"You're father wanted to have a good breakfast with his family before he goes off to town for the day." Billy answers, setting the pancakes on the table in the middle of us.

We all stare at the stack and Aaron lifts a hand and reaches toward them. AJ slaps his hand away, "We have to wait for Dad."

Billy entered again with a pitcher of milk and several glasses. Dad followed behind with plates and silverware. "Morning, Dad!" We greeted happily. He wished each of us a good morning and gave us a giant hug.

"I'm leaving to go to town in a few minutes, but I wanted to make sure to see each of your smiling faces before I leave," Dad said as he took a seat at the table and passed out plates. We dug into the pancakes.

"Dad, can I go to town with you?" Aaron begged.

"When you get older son," Dad said for the millionth time.

"What are you going to do in town today?" AJ asked.

"I'm going to get us a new cow. Bess is getting old, and if something were to happen to her, we wouldn't have any milk." He answered in between bites. "Today you kids do your chores, you understand. Listen to Billy, he's in charge." He shoved one more pancake in his mouth and stood up. He drank a little milk then patted each of us on the head. "I've got to be going, it's a long ride to town."

"Bye, Dad!" We followed him out to the barn were David, one of our five horses was already saddled up. He got on and galloped away, waving just before the path turned and he disappeared down a hill.

"Alright, everyone start on your chores," AJ commanded.

"You're not in charge," Aaron and I protested, crossing our arms.

"I'll tell Dad when he gets home tonight. He said that we had to do our chores."

"That includes you," Aaron stated.

"I'm going, I'm going." She left, to the house. Because she was the oldest, she got to do all of the house cleaning, while Aaron and I worked in the barn and gardens.

I heard Aaron let out a sigh as he went to work. I grabbed an apple from a barrel and went into my horse's stall. I fed it to him and led him out to the pasture. I went back and cleaned his stall, then proceeded onto the others. Once I was finished, I feed the chickens and gathered the eggs. By the time I was finished, the sun was high in the sky. The bell chimed for lunch, and I ran to the house. AJ was already seated, and a minute later Aaron joined us. We ate delicious sandwiches for lunch, then went back to work. In the summer, Dad always gave us extra chores.

I went to the garden to gather any ripe vegetables or fruits. Once I had a basket full of corn, tomatoes, apples, and a few peaches, I put it in the barn and went back to pull weeds. This was my least favorite chore. The hot sun beat down on me and I sweat dripped into my eyes.

All of a sudden, I was splattered with mud. I turned to see Aaron running away, swinging an empty bucket, nearly doubled over in laughter.

"Aaron! I'm going to kill you!" I screamed, running after him. Once we got near the creek, where all the mud was, I got a handful of mud in each hand and threw it at him. We lost track of time, trying to get each other dirtier, and the sun began to set. We heard the dinner bell ringing in the distance, meaning that Dad just got home. We never ate dinner without Dad.

"It's a good thing I was finished with my chores, or else Dad would be so mad," Aaron said. I nodded in agreement.

We looked at each other and burst out laughing. We were both a terrible mess. It was a good thing that Dad never got mad at a mess. He always thought that a little bit of dirt was a good thing.

We ran to the farmhouse, shoving each other to go faster and froze when we saw about twenty cattle in the pasture.

"Woah!" Aaron said in amazement. "Dad must have bought a bunch of cattle in town! This is awesome!"

"Isn't it?" Dad's voice boomed behind us. He was standing in the doorway of the barn. Standing next to him was a boy. A very attractive boy.

Dad nodded towards him and said, "This is Austin. He's about a year older than you Ally. He needed a place to stay, so I hired him as a cowhand. He's gonna help me with these cattle."

Austin pulled his cowboy hat off, revealing gorgeous blonde hair and nodded at me, "Howdy ma'am," then he smiled a killer smile at me.

"Hi," I said, suddenly shy. He looked back and forth between me and Aaron in what seemed like amusement. I looked at Aaron. Then I remembered how muddy I looked.

I just met this extremely handsome boy, and I'm completely covered in mud. Of course, it happens to me.

**A/N: Do you think I should continue?**


	2. Stars and Candy

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! Well, I'll be continuing! **

**I have so much crap I have to do for school. If only teachers accepted fanfic's as work. I mean c'mon, its reading and writing! Instead of writing a really boring research paper, I could just write another chapter! **

**Thank you for the reviews! They really inspired me to continue writing. If you also read Go Away, I'll update that one too, I'm just currently really into this one.**

**Oh, and by the way, Ally is sixteen and Austin is seventeen. **

**Now here's chapter two!**

"Why don't you two get cleaned up a little, then we'll eat supper," My dad offered. "C'mon, Austin. I'll show you around the house." Austin tipped his head and smiled before following my dad and placing his cowboy hat back on his head.

Once they were out of ear shot, Aaron shoved me. "You like him, don't you?"

"Aaron! I didn't even talk to him!" I protested.

"So?" He questioned.

"Let's just get cleaned up, we don't want to keep them waiting." I reasoned.

"You mean you don't want to keep _Austin _waiting," Aaron continued annoyingly.

I proceeded to shove him, and then run to the well. I lowered the bucket down into the water, and twisted the crank, pulling the rope back to the top. I reached out to grab the bucket off of the hook, but Aaron reached it first.

"Here, let me help you clean up," He said right before dumping the bucket over my head.

"Aaron!" I screamed furiously. Now I have to go to dinner soaking wet, and Austin's going to be there. Not that it matters or anything.

I scrubbed as much dirt off that I could. I twisted my braids, trying to wring out as much water as I could. I wished that we had a mirror. Mirrors were really expensive, and only the really wealthy had them. My Aunt Lisa had one. She was wealthy and lived in the town. I loved visiting her because we got to eat candy and she had a huge mirror right in her living room. AJ, Aaron, and I could spend all day just staring into the mirror, making funny faces and cracking ourselves up.

"Do I have any mud on my face?" I asked. Aaron nodded and pointed to my left cheek. I dipped my hands in the refilled bucket and splashed some water lightly on my face.

"How do I look?" Aaron asked, stepping back and holding his hands out.

I took the bucket and threw the rest of the water on him. "There now you look good."

Aaron and I entered the house to find everyone already at the table waiting for us. I rushed to my seat and sat down quickly. It wasn't until I looked up that I realized I was directly across from Austin. I looked down when I saw that he was looking back at me.

"Alright, everybody dig in!" My dad said. Everyone instantly picked up a dish, helped themselves, and passed it around.

Everything smelled amazing. There was mashed potatoes, corn on the cobb, biscuits, iced tea, and fried chicken. Austin was the first to taste the food.

"This is amazing! Mmm, I haven't had a home cooked meal in so long. I think this is the best food I've ever tasted," Austin said before stuffing more food into his mouth.

"That's thanks to Billy. He's the best cook in all of California." My dad said proudly.

Billy grunted in response before adding, "Save some room for dessert. I made peach cobbler."

The supper conversation consisted on how Dad met Austin, and how he was 'just the nicest lad he ever met.' Dad also told us that he had stopped to see Aunt Lisa, and he told us that she had bought each of us a present. He left the room and came back shortly with three packages. He handed one to each of us. Aaron ripped his open right away. He had received a brand new belt with a big shiny belt buckle to go along with it. He put it on and strutted around the room. We all laughed and complimented the belt. AJ opened hers carefully, and smiled widely when she saw that she had gotten a box of sewing pins.

"Just what I needed!" She exclaimed happily.

. I opened my present and found four pieces of brightly colored candy. I poured them into my hand and shoved them into my pocket before Aaron could try to take one.

"Who's ready for dessert?" My dad said excitedly.

"Me!" Aaron jumped out of his chair, shouting it over and over again.

We laughed and Billy brought out the peach cobbler. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it.

"Kids, it's getting late. Why don't y'all head on to bed. Austin, we don't have an extra room in the house, so for now you can sleep in the hay loft in the barn. Ally will show you where it is." My dad said once the cobbler was gone.

"Thank you, sir," Austin answered politely.

"C'mon," I said, standing up and pushing my chair in. He followed suit.

I stopped in the hallway to get several blankets out of the chest. We stepped out into the cool summer night air.

"The stars are pretty," I commented, looking to the heavens.

"Yeah," Austin replied not taking his eyes off of me. His eyes sparkled, reflecting the moon at me.

"The barn's this way."

"Thanks ma'am."

"You don't have to call me ma'am. You can just call me Ally, if you want to."

"Okay," he paused, "Ally," he said; trying it out.

We reached the barn. I started to pull the barn doors open, but Austin stopped me. "I'll get it," He said, gently pushing me aside and opening the doors.

"Thanks."

"A pretty girl like you shouldn't have to open her own doors." He shrugged. Hearing that of course made me blush uncontrollably.

I pointed to the wooden ladder leaning against the wall. "The loft's up there. There's some straw you can sleep on if you want, and here's a couple blankets," I handed them to him.

"Thanks, Ally," He said, smiling kindly at me.

"And, here," I reached into my pocket and pulled the candy out, "Have a piece."

He held up his hands as if he was surrendering. "I can't take your candy."

"Please, think of it as a welcoming present," I held the candy out to him.

He only looked at me hesitantly. I grabbed his hand and closed two pieces in it.

Then I ran out of the barn before he could try to protest. "Night, Austin!" I called over my shoulder.

"Thanks Ally! You too!" He called back.

I jogged into the quiet house smiling. Everyone had already gone to bed, except for Billy. I could faintly hear him scrubbing plates in the kitchen. He always refused to go to bed until the kitchen was clean. I climbed the ladder to my room.

My room was my favorite place in the house. It was supposed to be an attic, but we turned it into my room when I turned ten. I usually kept it pretty tidy. I smiled contently as I pushed the trapdoor open and entered the room.

I shut it softly behind me, so that I wouldn't disturb the others, and kicked off my shoes. I changed into my pajamas, and before climbing into bed, I pulled the curtains of my window open and looked outside. I had a view of the barn and fields. I smiled widely knowing that Austin was out there. I breathed on the glass, fogging it up, and drew a heart around the barn. Then I climbed into bed and fell asleep, dreaming of that sweet blonde cowboy.

**A/N: Trust me, Auslly is coming up soon. Keep reading and maybe… Review?**


	3. Chickens

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Okay, so I should be writing another chapter for Go Away, but I'm really into this story right now. If you really want another chapter for Go Away, just pm me and I'll work on it. **

**Anyway, have you guys seen the promo for Girlfriends and Girl Friends?! OMG! I can NOT wait! It looks sooooo amazing! I kept replaying it! They are so adorable together!**

**XxRossLynchLoveForeverxX – I know, right! Austin would make one hot cowboy! **

**Wickedlovely123 – Thanks for the review! I love your idea! I will plan on doing that later on in the story!**

**Guest- You have no idea what's going to happen in the next few chapters! I have a huge twist planned!**

**Thank you to EVERYONE who has reviewed! They mean so much to me! You guys are the best! A special thanks to queenc1, arianapa1216, and .1 for ALL of your sweet reviews to all my stories! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally….**

**Sorry for the long Author's note. Now, on with the chapter!**

I was having the best dream until I was rudely awaken up by our old annoying rooster's crows. That stupid bird, we should just eat him already. I sat up in bed and stretched. The sun was just rising, but the air was still really warm. Today was going to be a hot day.

I pulled on my jean short cutoffs, and decided on a pretty yellow colored tank-top. Not that I was trying to impress anyone or anything. I just left my naturally wavy hair down. I slid my feet into my cowgirl boots and looked down at my outfit; making sure that everything looked alright.

I went downstairs to the main room, but no one else was there. I was almost never the first one up. I opened the curtains hanging in the big window over the table and let the early morning light fill the room. Billy's old face appeared in the doorway leading to the kitchen.

"Finally, someone's up. Go and get me some milk. I need some for breakfast." Billy said.

"Okay," I answered. I walked out to the barn, giggling when I could hear Austin snoring softly in the loft. I quietly milked the cow until the bucket was full to the brim with creamy white milk. Then I returned to the farmhouse and delivered the milk. I sat on a stool in the corner of the kitchen and watched Billy skillfully prepare the breakfast. I loved doing this when I was awake early enough. Delicious smells filled the house as my dad joined us.

"Mornin' Ally!" He greeted me. "Could you do me a quick favor?" I nodded. "Aaron forgot to feed the chickens yesterday, would you go and feed them for me?"

"Sure, dad," I hopped off my stool and walked out to the barn once again. I stopped when I heard movement in the loft. I hesitated, not sure if I should say something or not. I screamed when Austin jumped from the loft and landed right in front of me. He grinned widely, "Good morning, Ally!"

"You scared me!" I told him, my racing heart still calming down.

"I know, that's kinda the point."

In response, I playfully shoved him into a pile of hay. He landed on his back and laughed softly. Instead of standing back up, he relaxed into the hay and rested his hands behind his head. "So what are you doing?" he asked.

"Feeding the chickens," I answered over my shoulder as I walked to the bag of chicken feed and grabbed a handful. When the chickens heard the familiar sound of their food, they all fluttered out of the shelves where they usually rested and flocked around my feet, squawking loudly.

I showered them with a little food and watched as they pecked the ground and fought over the small pieces of dried corn. I looked up at Austin who was watching me. "You wanna feed them some?" I asked holding out my hand that still had food in it.

"Yeah," he got up and brushed the hay off of himself as he walked over. He held out his hands and I poured the contents of my hand into his. "Here you go chicken," He said holding one kernel of corn a few feet above one of the biggest chickens. The chicken looked at the corn and cocked it's head. Austin laughed and continued to hold it. "Do you want it?" He teased the chicken. Austin jumped back and squealed when the chicken jumped for the food. Flopping it's wings, the chicken chased Austin as he continued to back away from it. Austin ended up tripping over a bucket, causing the food in his hands to scatter all around him Instantly all the chickens ran over to him. "Ow, OWW!" Austin yelped when a chicken pecked his arm where some food was laying.

I laughed at the sight and went over to help him up. "Stupid chicken!" He yelled at the one who had bit him.

The bell rang. "C'mon. That means that breakfast is ready," I explained.

For breakfast, Billy had made scrambled eggs, pancakes, and a plate of sliced fruits. It was delicious, and apparently Austin agreed. I have never seen anyone eat so many pancakes.

Once the table was cleared, everyone left to do chores. My dad said that he had something important to do, so Austin could just relax for the day. I went out to the barn with Austin right behind me. "I can help you with your chores. Then we can just hang out for the rest of the day. You could show me what's fun to do around here," Austin suggested.

"Are you sure that you wanna spent your day off on me?" I asked.

"Definitely. I haven't known you for very long, but the time that I have spent with you has been amazing. I'd love to get to know you a little more, if that's okay with you."

"Okay," I said with a huge smile on my face.

**A/N: Okay, so I know it's not the best place to leave off, but I've got a plan for the next chapter! And keep reading, I have an idea for something maybe a couple more chapters in! **

**Sorry that this chapter was so slow. More Auslly to come! Thanks for reading! Love you!**

**Review! **


	4. Catch em'

**A/N: Okay, so have ya'll seen the promo for Campers and Complications? Oh my gosh! I am soo excited! It looks amazing! Like, I seriously freaked out when I saw the promo. I smiled/giggled/and happy danced at the same time. And omg, wasn't Girlfriends and Girl Friends good!? I loved it! Austin and Ally is getting better and better with every episode!**

**Wow, 37 reviews!? Thank you soo sooo sooo much! You guys are so amazing!**

**A special thanks to: I Always Rise with the Sun6069, HPMudBlood, and Beanka Juarez! Thank you to every one who reviewed! **

**Sorry for the late update. I don't really have an excuse. I was just lazy, but once I actually started writing it, it was easier.**

Austin followed me down the hill that led to the barn. "I've gotta do my chores before I can do anything else," I explained.

"Okay, I'll help you," Austin said.

I froze and turned to my left when I heard faint chicken clucks. The chickens were out in the fields. I glanced at the barn. The door was wide open. "Shit!" I cursed, too panicked to regret it. "I forgot to shut the door, and all the chickens got out," I yelled over my shoulder as I ran towards the animals.

I slowed down right behind a chicken. He turned his head and studied me with one of his eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you. Come on little chicken," I reached my hands out slowly until I was close enough. Then I lunged forward and tried to grab the chicken. It jumped at the movement and ran out of my reach. I landed with a thud on the hard ground.

I shot Austin a death glare when I heard him laughing. "I-I'm sorry, it's just… really funny," Austin mumbled out, trying to control the giggles.

"Like you could do any better."

"Watch and learn, Miss Dawson."

Austin walked right up to a chicken, but with every step he took towards it, the chicken took another step away until it broke out into a full run. Austin sprinted after it. He bent down and put one hand on its back, both of them still running. His other arm was stretched out for balance.

With one final stretch, Austin reached out and grabbed the chicken with both hands. The chicken struggled, sending feathers in every direction. Austin tried to stop, but the momentum made him fall and land face down in the grass. The chicken got away. "Damn chicken!" Austin yelled and threw a rock at it.

This time it was me who couldn't stop laughing. "Stop laughing! Allllly, it's not funny," Austin complained, but the smile on his face told me that he found it funny too.

He got on his feet and chased after me. I screamed and ran the other way. The chickens ran away from us. We ran straight through the field, laughing the whole way. Austin caught up with me quickly and grabbed my waist from behind. Lifting me off my feet, he twirled me around. We fell back on a soft patch of thick green grass. We laid on our backs, looking up at the sky dotted with white puffy clouds, and caught our breath.

The hot summer sun beat down on us as I sat up. A chicken was pecking the ground right beside me. I slowly reached out and put a hand on each side of its fluffy body. I picked it up easily and held it to my chest. "I got one!"

"Nice!" Austin stood up and turned to help me. It's actually pretty hard to get up when you've got a chicken in your arms. Austin bent down and put one arm around me, and the other near the top of my right arm. He pulled me towards him.

"Thanks." I smiled gratefully at him.

"Sure. Let's get him in the barn before he gets away again."

Austin opened the barn door, and I put him back in the room used as a chicken coop. I made sure that the door was safely latched behind him. "Hey, I've got an idea!" Austin exclaimed.

Before I had a chance to say anything in reply, he grabbed a handful of chicken food. "Come and get it!" He yelled out to the field. He sprinkled the food over the dirt ground. The chickens could hear the sound from miles away. They all came running in. We pushed them into the barn and shut the door.

"We did it!" Austin yelled, throwing his arms into the air. I laughed in agreement. "It's so hot," Austin said as he rubbed his forearm against his sweaty forehead.

"It is really hot." I pushed my hair out of my face. "I know what we should do! Come on," I motioned for him to follow me.

I lead him out to the woods. "What are we doing here?" Austin questioned.

"Just follow me."

I stopped when I reached the creek. The water sparkled in the light that made its way down through the trees. It was a big, deep creek with slow moving water. Perfect for swimming.

**A/N: I was going to add more, but I have to go to school :P**

**I'll update sooner than last time, though.**

**Okay, so I now that this was a really short chapter, and I'm really sorry. I'll make the next one longer. But, I would still love reviews. Tell me what you like, what you don't like. Let me know!**


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